Guest Post by Jared Diamond

As the world economy continues to lag, cost cutting, more than a trendy activity, is an emerging necessity for most.  When one considers the expenses of homeownership, the expenditures mercilessly pile.  From mortgages, property tax, maintenance and bills, any sort of expense reduction measure is a highly welcomed dose of relief.  What many are unaware is that one of the best-kept secrets in cost reduction happens to be the “in” way for going green in 2012.  Consider the climate that will surely accompany the upcoming year and this reality grows ever apparent.

When window tinting is installed, it acts as a barrier between exterior elements and the home’s interior.  On top of absorbing potentially hazardous elements such as UV light, window tint is highly effective in absorbing thermal heat.  When less heat is introduced into a home, the propensity for cooling declines considerably. When the usage of air conditioning is slashed, households generate less energy.  On top of paying dramatically reduced energy bills, what is also being shrunk is the home’s environmental footprint.

It’s no surprise that residential (and commercial) energy usage is one contributor to greenhouse gasses.  While window tinting alone will most likely not save our planet, it is one of many collective steps that ought to be seriously considered by home (and business) owners interested in making a difference for a sustainable future.  It can be enticing to imagine what type of carbon footprint reduction would be possible if window tinting were universally adopted.

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Guest post by Barbara O’Brien

Green or “sustainable” building is the practice of keeping the protection of the environment above all other building considerations. This ideal of environmental concern in building new structures and improving older ones is more pervasive now, and often guides companies and homeowners alike to make eco-friendly construction decisions.

For new structures, the point of being sustainable is not to only use sustainable products, such as bamboo, and recycled and re-purposed building materials. From lights to flooring and from the bones of the new building down to the plumbing and electrical, the top construction leaders are embracing this sustainable movement.

Isn’t Green Building Expensive?

This is one of the most widely held misperceptions in the construction industry. Building green isn’t expensive. Not only in the short-term financial output, say for materials, but for the long-term benefit by saving overall utilities costs.

Habitat for Humanity International (HHI) is one of the first and leading organizations that embraced the green building movement before it became a regular and expected practice. Since the organization provides low-cost homes for those disenfranchised, it recognized the cost-benefit of building green and using sustainable products.

From radiant heat flooring to using recycled glass counter tops, Habitat for Humanity International embraced the green movement because of the cost effectiveness for not only their own building costs, but to provide a house that kept the homeowners’ costs to a minimum.

Building green, sustainable homes and buildings is more cost effective now than any other form of building.

Further, the United States government, specifically the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “rewards” sustainable building by offering tax incentives and grants.

Not only does the EPA recognize the importance and long term impact of sustainable building, so does the United States Green Building Council (USBGC). From city redevelopment, new builds and residential home improvements, the USBGC also provides financial incentive to build sustainable.

Numerous government agencies, private organizations and foundations supplement the cost of building green. Nationwide – even worldwide – these agencies and organizations understand the imperative to provide a clean environment for future generations.

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Guest post by Taylor Dardan

The popularity in all things “green” has certainly risen throughout the past decade. With people often concentrating on making decisions that involve outdoor air quality, some of the best ways to have an impact is within the home. A larger undertaking than just switching out a few household products, switching to soy and other organic insulation is a great way to improve the sustainability of the home, cut down on utility costs, and cut down on indoor toxins.

The long-term utility costs and benefits are among the major reasons organic insulation is becoming so popular, aside from just the benefit of helping to save the environment. Soy insulation may be a little more expensive than common types of insulation but it will be well worth the minor upgrade in price. Even without the added additional benefits of organic insulation, soy insulation will gain back the costs spent through reduced utility costs. Spray soy foam insulation is often considered one of the most sustainable options in all insulation types. The spray foam is applied and will then spread to fill nearly all holes and cracks throughout the home. This will prevent air from getting out of the house, putting a major reduction on utility costs in the long run.

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Image via Wikipedia

Going green is not just about new construction and technology, it’s about retrofitting and reusing existing foundations.  The tallest skyscraper in America, the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), is getting a green retrofit.

Converting just the south side of the 56th floor will generate 2 MW of electricity.  The windows will be replaced with high power density photovoltaic windows.  They produce as much electricity as a standard photovoltaic panel, while still allowing daylight in and reducing heat loss.

The resulting ambiance is calmer and cool, much like a tinted car window.  Only this window generates more electricity than is used within the room.

Imagine the application of this technology on the desert skyscrapers of the middle east, that are baked with direct sun 12 hours each day.  Then again, it’s hard to justify clean energy when you’re floating on a lake of oil.

Source:
inhabitat.com

Related articles

• Willis Tower goes solar (physorg.com)
• Willis Tower to get greener windows (ubergizmo.com)

This city design is just a concept, but took third place in a contest to redesign the master plan for Andalsnes in Sweden.  The architects behind the design, Jägnefält Milton say the design is the best response to the wildly different seasonal temperatures in the area.  So what is the design?  A moveable, grid and block based city of course!

The city plan calls for railroad tracks and buildings composed of blocks that can be moved and reassembled as per the needs of the season.  The summers are full of tourists and warmth, while the winters are cold and dreary.  This design would allow the town to greatly expand during the summer to take advantage of the warmth and to hold more tourists and their wallets.

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Hippie Magazine is all about cool eco innovations.  Sometimes they’re useful in the “why didn’t anyone think of that before?” kind of way.  And sometimes they’re more like “I don’t know why anyone would do this but it sure sounds cool”.  This story is the latter.

Elevators seem to work just fine.  But in the case of the upcoming Taiwanese skyscraper designed by architect Stefan Dorin, visitors can ride on giant, helium-inflated platforms secured to the sides of the building.  These platforms will be able to carry up to 72 people (I’d hate to be number 73!) up and down the structure.

The balloons will be made from the same high-tech fabric used to create the Japanese swimming cube for these past winter Olympics.

One comment suggests there could be a risk for typhoons.  Taiwan has been known to experience them from time to time so this is an applicable question.  Personally, I would love to ride on one of them.  Just once though, and in fair weather only.

Source

Educational institutions are often privileged to experience the latest in building technology.  Why? because they are charged by their communities to be the most forward-thinking, progressive-minded groups.  After all, they’re supposed to apply the latest technology because they develop it.

In addition, institutions of higher learning often receive massive donations and grants to apply the latest technologies.  Even public schools are getting in on the green floor as they realize saving money on utility bills may be part of the solution to shrinking public budgets.

Under ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), over $48 billion was awarded to the Department of Education that can be used for construction and weatherization efforts by schools.

We can expect schools with passive solar technology, green roofs, geothermal heating and cooling, and even integrated photovoltaic generation technology.

Source

The following two videos give an overview of an Earthship. Earthship biotecture is the product of forty years of research and development into completely self-sufficient housing made entirely from recycled materials.

The race is on to create the most efficient homes.  We’re now to the point in eco-evolution that homes are becoming mini power plants.  It’s not longer enough to just make a home without a carbon footprint, we’re now able to build homes that produce more clean energy than they consume.

The home, dubbed “Heliotrope” actually rotates to collect the maximum amount of solar energy.  With a giant solar array on the roof and eco-friendly design throughout, the home produces five-times more energy than it uses.

Of course the home also includes energy saving features such as a waste-water filtration system and a rainwater collection system on the roof.

Fit for any eco-geek, this home is just one more step on the path to environmental restoration.

Vancouver, host to the ongoing winter Olympics, has long been considered one of the world’s most livable cities. And with the Olympics come the eyes of the entire world. Vancouver is now on display and one of the crown jewels of the Olympian host city is the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Completed a little more than a year ago, the facility has won numerous architectural awards, including the Structural Engineers 2009 Award for Sports or Leisure Structure.

Located just outside Vancouver along the Fraser River in Richmond, the $178 million complex features a distinctive wave-shaped roof that is the largest clear span wooden structure in the world. Inside the building 15 soaring wooden arches span the expansive roof, creating a rippling effect that evokes a feeling of “being sheltered by a massive heron’s wing,” a city official recently told Planet Ark.

Innovation in sustainability

The roof for the 7,600-seat facility is constructed with a million board-feet of pine beetle-infested wood that would have otherwise gone to waste. The sweeping curves of the roof harvests rainwater for irrigation and flushing toilets. Incorporated into the skating rink’s refrigeration plant, a heat recovery system heats the rest of the building.

By almost all accounts, the Richmond Olympic Oval is a marriage of aesthetics and functional sustainability worthy of its surroundings. Designed by Canon Design, the structure evokes an emotional response from those lucky enough to see it and use it first-hand. Says Australian skater Sophie Muir:

“It’s just absolutely amazing, like nothing I’ve ever seen. The place is just beautiful in the way they’ve set it up to be quite environmentally friendly, which scores brownie points in my books.”

After the games the Olympic Oval will be used as a multi-sport facility and exercise center. No doubt one of the most distinctive and beautiful sport and exercise centers in the world.